pos Stihl MS 201T

[benjo75]

Was in the local stihl dealership about 3 years ago and the owner recommended I buy his last 200T He said the newer ones was having problems. My 020T was just fine but I bought it for a spare anyway. They serviced it and it sat in the bin of the bucket truck until this summer when my 020T started getting weak. I have been switching out between the new 200T and A 540XP this summer. Also when I tried to run the new 200T for the first time it wouldn't run. I had periodically started it and kept fresh gas in it. I took it in and the mechanic asked why I was trying to run it without an impulse line. I said because you sold it to me without one. I sure didn't remove it. They added an impulse line and it magically ran great.

Less than 30 tanks of gas later the brand new and out of warranty 200T quits. Have to have another saw immediately so I give in and buy the 201 TCM and leave my saw to be checked out. 6 days later they call and ask If I want my saw torn apart and looked at. ????? Yes please. That's why its here in the first place. I didn't make a donation.

Today I get an call. I'm in the neighborhood so I stop by. Bad news. Crank bearings shot, crank broke, everything is broke and metal everywhere. Gladly fix it for $500. So I bring home a $700 box of parts.

I baby my saws. That's how I got 15 years out of my 020T That's how I regularly get 9 to 10 years out of 46 and 66. Stihl oil mixed perfectly. Constantly cleaning airfilters. The new 200T has hardly been used, never hung and jerked on, never dropped, never left out. Perfectly new saw. Shot! I was told crap happens and this time it happened to you. Chalk it up to a life lesson.

I believe I will.

I currently have 15 saws in my possession. All but 2 are Stihl. If this is the product that they want me to pay $700 for then I'll be switching brands very soon. I was told that they would keep an eye out for another one just like it so I could use mine for parts. Based on this particular saw I'm going to need several more to keep it running. When I paid $700 for this saw in good faith I really wasn't wanting a parts saw.

I know it's been 3 years and the warranty has conveniently ran out 35 months ago. I've heard about the newer Stihls being crap but this is ridiculous. Now I have a brand new, one week old 201 TCM that I was just told might quit tomorrow or it might last a lifetime. I don't think I want to roll those dice anymore on stihl. I'm about to have to upgrade my bigger saws and not sure where to head . I need 2 that will pull 36" bars. And 2 comparable to 460.

Rant over.

 

[BuckmasterStumpGrinding]

I like echo the more I use them. They don't quite have the same power but they are built to last.

 

[benjo75]

I'm looking at Echo. Been hearing good things about them. Sorry about the title saying 201T. It's supposed to read 200T. I can't seem to change it.

Update on my situation. I took my box of parts to a higher power with Stihl. He looked at it and decided the lower end is just fine. There is very little side play in the crank bearing. He showed me that they changed bearings in the 200T and the 201TCM and these bearings have minor side play. Just can't have up and down play. Which mine doesn't. He even took me in back and showed me new bearings for these saws and explained about the side play.

The piston and jug is ruined. Come to find out, the 200T has an Achilles heel. The air filter cover. A piece of the inner lock tab that holds the air filter cover on had broken off and went in the engine. He says that they had warrantied so many of these that Stihl had to redo the design. He says Stihl recommends only cleaning the air filter when you notice a power difference. I had just cleaned my filters the day before. I clean all my filters periodically regardless of usage. That way some of my filters don't get overlooked.

I'm told there is nothing I can do about this problem. It can happen again just as easy. He recommends not opening the filter unless necessary and possibly replacing the flat headed screw lock often. $5 screw lock is cheap insurance. You would think they would tell their dealers about this problem and also about the side play in the crank bearings. You shouldn't have to go to the factory to find this out.

So it looks like my saw is fixable after all. Glad I didn't pay $500 for a total rebuild as was recommended. Piston, rings and jug and it will be running again.

Anyone with the flathead screw lock should check the inner metal tabs that can break off and create havoc. Would have saved me some grief.

 

[BC WetCoast]

You must be one of the last people around to have a new 200. Most here have long ago worn their 200's out and have moved on to the 201 and reminisce about the good old days when they still had a 200.

If you read enough threads on here, you'll see that if you get an Echo or Husky top handle, and you use it regularly and hard, you'll be soon hating life.

 

[benjo75]

I've heard good things about Echos. I've heard they're not as powerful but I wouldn't expect them to be. I have a pretty new Husky 540 XP. It is a good saw but it just doesn't seem to idle just right sometimes. I'm rebuilding the top end on the 200T. It's a brand new saw. The chain has been sharpened 2 times. But It's always going to be in the back of my mind that it could happen again at any time.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Jeff had a number of Husky 540's for his 9 climbers. I think he got rid of them and switched back to Stihl.
There are lots of 'Echo's are crap" comments if you search the threads for them. The firewood guys like them, but they don't appear to have the longevity for the pros.

 

[Conquistador3]

Let's be clear here.
If you need a performing, highly durable micro top handle, Echo and Shindaiwa are hard to beat.
If you need a larger top handle saw... that's tough out there.
The Stihl MS200T was the standard by which commercial-grade top handle saws were judged, albeit those performances came at a price. Those things ate carburetors for breakfast and sometimes took a double helping of oil pump, cylinder gasket, crackshaft seals etc. In short it was a hot rod saw, trading reliability for performances, and like all hot rods it has a vibrant market and enthusiastic following to this day.
Stihl designed the MS201T thinking professionals would like to trade performances for reliability but they were wrong. The 201T has developed a bad reputation not so much on account of poor reliability (I'll be incinerated but the 200T was worse) but because its performances are not up there with the old 200T.
What I can tell you is my Stihl dealership has a whole shelf filled with 201T's, plus some in boxes and just cannot shift them. They have a brisk trade repairing 200T's for commercial customers but the new saw just doesn't sell.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

We have put 2 years work on our shindaiwa and echo top handles. considering here they are half the cost of a ms201 and work great I cant fault them (I also have a little 260t that rocks)

I have 4 brand new in box ms200t's and dont think I will end up using them as the 360t's are working that great.

 

[crotchclimber]

Time will tell if the 201TCM holds out. I've been using one since late last year and it's still running strong. The main issue I have with it is that it is unreliable to start hot unless I give it throttle. I used a T540XP for a while until it died after six months. C&P are shot it looks like. What a money pit of a saw. All our climbers are using 201TCM saws now that all the 201T saws have died or broken.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Like crotchclimber said, same here.
So far so good with the 201TCM,
My biggest complaint is the weakness in the design of the handle, I have had two saws bump a branch at the handle and the plastics break,
seems like the same handle they use on the MS192 crap,
I will let you know what the bill will be to replace the crappy handle.
Other than that, so far so good.
Jeff

 

[802climber]

I came into a nice 020t which is now my go to top handle. Also bought a brand new t540 last season and absolutely hate it.


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[treesmith]

Like crotchclimber said, same here.
So far so good with the 201TCM,
My biggest complaint is the weakness in the design of the handle, I have had two saws bump a branch at the handle and the plastics break,
seems like the same handle they use on the MS192 crap,
I will let you know what the bill will be to replace the crappy handle.
Other than that, so far so good.
Jeff

Handle change is easy, after a couple they take no time at all, the handle itself is even cheap (ish) in Oz

Just take a photo of all the linkages the first time

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[KenJax Tree]

I like echo the more I use them. They don't quite have the same power but they are built to last.

In my experiance its been the opposite. It had power but wasn't built to last, i replaced the chain brake once and the plastic under the top handle twice in 6 months.

 

[mcdc6]

I would dare say that the storage of the saw for a few years whether it has been ran very little or hardly at all would be my first guess as to failure. Possibly not having enough oil in the crankcase from lack of usage then being stored would lead to corrosion, rusting of the bearings, pitting of metals. Especially if stored in the bucket truck. The inners of the saw are exposed to extreme humidity moving freely throughout the saw from the intake and exhaust ports. Just my two cents. Side note, my 200t's have been great. They still are running strong for years. Durable saws.

 

[benjo75]

Thanks for the input. It has sat in the truck for a while. But I also started it about every month and made a few cuts and kept fresh gas in it. And periodically used it for a tree. The chain has been sharpened about once. So it's new. I just got it back with a new top end. So I'm going to try it out tomorrow and see how it does. Should last a while if i can keep the tabs on the air filter from breaking off and going in the motor. Been using the 201 TCM for a couple weeks pretty hard. It's doing good. It's kind of a pain starting cold and it doesn't get near the fuel mileage that the 200 does. But other than that it's doing good for a new saw.

 

[gorman]

Time will tell if the 201TCM holds out. I've been using one since late last year and it's still running strong. The main issue I have with it is that it is unreliable to start hot unless I give it throttle. I used a T540XP for a while until it died after six months. C&P are shot it looks like. What a money pit of a saw. All our climbers are using 201TCM saws now that all the 201T saws have died or broken.

Yea guy. Same here. When it's hot the thing won't start unless i throttle it. Otherwise it's 4-5 pulls consistently.

 

[crotchclimber]

Yea guy. Same here. When it's hot the thing won't start unless i throttle it. Otherwise it's 4-5 pulls consistently.

Good to know it's not just me. It always starts easily cold but when it's hot it needs throttle. Not very safe and wish it could be fixed. I wondered if it was something misprogrammed with the mtronic or if it's an inherent flaw with the saw.

 

[gorman]

I have another gripe. On both my 201 and 201tc the case seal has a leak right near the dogs where the oil reservoir is. My 201tc is only about a year old.

 

[Bruiser1]

Time will tell if the 201TCM holds out. I've been using one since late last year and it's still running strong. The main issue I have with it is that it is unreliable to start hot unless I give it throttle. I used a T540XP for a while until it died after six months. C&P are shot it looks like. What a money pit of a saw. All our climbers are using 201TCM saws now that all the 201T saws have died or broken.

Just bought a 201tcm Have same problems when it's "HOT" seems to cut out when I rev and when I'm in the cut. I think they come from the factory to RICH ( This is their way of you not adjusting to lean so you fry the piston" I noticed around muffler exhaust a lot of buildup. I believe when I you go to rev up there's too much fuel in the carb and it cuts out. I'm going to the dealer and have put it on the diagnostics and see if it is RICH. Don't get me wrong I like my saw a little in the ROUGH but , not so much where it loads up and cuts out. I'll keep you posted.

 

[benjo75]

My 201 tcm seems to load up while idling for over about 5 seconds. As long as I'm continually cutting it does fine. If I let it idle for 5 seconds or more it bogs for about a second when I try to rev it up. Very annoying when you reach to make a cut and it falls on its face. Another great advancement from stihl.